Charge suffer first loss of season

The Canton Charge suffered their first defeat of the 2013-14 season in a 121-112 loss to the Delaware 87ers at the Bob Carpenter Center on Sunday evening. Canton is now 5-1 both overall and in East Division play this season, while Delaware won its second-straight to improve to 2-4.

The Canton Charge suffered their first defeat of the 2013-14 season in a 121-112 loss to the Delaware 87ers at the Bob Carpenter Center on Sunday evening. Canton is now 5-1 both overall and in East Division play this season, while Delaware won its second-straight to improve to 2-4.

After three ties and three lead changes early, the 87ers began to seize control late in the first when trailing 26-25, they finished the quarter on a 10-0 run in the final 1:58 to pull ahead 35-26. Delaware’s advantage was as many as 18 in the second and it led by a double-digit margin for the final 10:50 to go into the intermission with a 64-49 lead.

The Sevens’ momentum continued to increase in the third as they hit 15-of-23 shots from the field (65%) and outscored Canton 43-30 to take a 107-79 lead into the game’s final frame. The Charge continued to fight, bouncing back to outscore Delaware 33-14 in the fourth, but the lead proved to be insurmountable. The 87ers hit 18-of-36 three-pointers (50%) on the night to Canton’s 3-of-15 from behind the arc (20%).

Arinze Onuaku notched his first double-double of the season and 21st of his career with a team-high 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, 11 rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes. Henry Sims scored 13 points and grabbed two rebounds in 22 minutes, while Carrick Felix netted 14 points, grabbed six boards and nabbed three steals in 24 minutes. Kevin Jones added 15 points for the Charge, while Shane Edwards provided nine points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 23 points on 7-of-8 shooting and two assists in 39 minutes for the Sevens. Damian Saunders scored 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting with 11 rebounds and six steals in 35 minutes. Kendall Marshall supplied 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a steal in 35 minutes.